Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-11-09

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Some people have decided to reduce the number of times they fly every year or to stop flying altogether.

Do you think the environmental benefits of this development outweigh the disadvantages for individuals and businesses?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 4.5)

In recent times, the affect of air planes on environment is a part of factors that contribute in environmental demage. Some people have decided that by reducing their number of travel by air every year or they stop flying altogether to reduce the effect on environment. I believe the advantages of this development does not outweigh the drawbacks for businesses and individuals, however, there are both pros and cones.

To begin with, the positive side of reducing the use of air travel is that when lesser people travel by air planes they it reduce flights and effect to climate and atmosphere will also decrease. Because the air planes uses fuel that release toxic fumes after burning which is harmful and disturb the natural environment. And the white trail behind air planes in winters

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You identify the topic and state a position: “the advantages of this development does not outweigh the drawbacks.” You also begin to explain an environmental benefit, linking fewer flights with reduced effects on the climate and mentioning fuel emissions. However, the response addresses the task only minimally: it does not explain the disadvantages for individuals or businesses, and the environmental point is not fully developed. The final sentence is unfinished (“And the white trail behind air planes in winters”), so the example cannot be understood or evaluated. The response is also 117 words below the required minimum, leaving too little space to develop and support the argument. To improve, discuss both sides, explain why your position follows, and add relevant examples before concluding clearly.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The opening gives the reader a general topic and a position, and “To begin with” signals the start of a supporting point. These features provide some basic organisation. However, the response has no developed paragraph structure or overall progression: it moves from the introduction into one environmental point and then stops mid-sentence. The contrast introduced by “however” is not followed by an explanation of the drawbacks, and the repeated use of “Because” and “And” does not create clear links between complete ideas. Organise the response into an introduction, separate paragraphs for the environmental benefits and the disadvantages, and a conclusion. Use linking expressions to show how each reason supports your position.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some topic-related vocabulary, including “environment,” “climate,” “atmosphere,” “fuel,” and “toxic fumes,” which helps convey the general subject. However, the range is limited and several word choices or spellings make the meaning less clear, such as “environmental demage,” “pros and cones,” and “the affect of air planes.” Phrases such as “number of travel by air” and “effect on environment” are also not natural collocations. Aim to learn accurate topic phrases and use them in complete explanations—for example, language about carbon emissions, air pollution, and the cost or convenience of air travel. Proofreading spelling and checking common word combinations would make your ideas easier to follow.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts to use both simple and more complex structures, including a conditional-style explanation beginning “when lesser people travel” and a clause introduced by “which.” However, control is inconsistent, and errors sometimes make the intended meaning difficult to follow. For example, “the advantages … does not outweigh” has a subject–verb agreement error, while “when lesser people travel by air planes they it reduce flights” contains a confused subject and verb structure. The sentence beginning “Because” is a fragment, and the final sentence is incomplete. Practise building complete sentences with one clear subject and verb, then check agreement and punctuation. Vary sentence patterns only after the basic structure is accurate.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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